The Flop House

Flip-flops aren't just for the beach anymore. This season, they're also the cheapest way to look fashionably pulled together -- a stash of thongs to match everything in your closet costs less than one pair of designer sandals. To hit the sand or the sidewalk in style, look for lots of color and a bit of something else -- a floppy faux flower, perhaps, or a printed sole. Here, our favorites for anywhere from $5 to $38 -- you just may need them all.

This summer's newest trend is for prints tucked discreetly under the foot -- they appear in flashes as you move or when you take them off. The best bargain around is a simple two-tone pair from Bed Bath & Beyond ($5, in either red or blue with white flowers). For a greater selection of colors, check out GapKids. We love a peppy pink-and-red giraffe-printed pair ($8.50, and larger sizes fit most women).

Nothing beats thongs with things on 'em to perk up a week-old pedicure. Sophisticated, tone-on-tone flower-adorned styles in white, powder blue, or yellow at American Eagle Outfitters are cheery and look grown-up (were $14.50, now on sale now for $5). For wackier color combos (olive with yellow flowers or orange with purple, for instance), try the Gap ($12.50). Delicately beaded versions offer a subtler effect -- and one that can substitute for high heels at summer parties. Anthropologie's dainty, hand-finished Brazilian style comes in deep orange or white ($38 -- but worth the splurge); bright, thicker-soled ones from Rebels are actually sturdy enough for tramping around in all day ($28 at FlipFlopTrunkshow.Com).